Annette never made jokes. I had to explain I didn’t mean sing literally. She rather huffily agreed that when I wanted it, she would go round the extensions checking against eavesdroppers.
I asked her why Greville hadn’t had a private line in any case, and she said he had had one earlier but they now used that for the fax machine.
“If he wanted to be private,” she said, “he went down to the yard and telephoned from his car.”
There, I supposed, he would have been safe also from people with sensitive listening devices, if he’d suspected their use. He had been conscious of betrayal, that was for sure.
I sat at Greville’s desk with the door closed and matched the three unknown Antwerp names from the Wizard with the full list June had provided, and found that all three were there.
The first and second produced no results, but from the third, once I explained who I was, I got the customary response about checking their files and calling back. They did call back, but the amorphous voice on the far end was cautious to the point of repression.
“We at Maarten-Pagnier cannot discuss anything at all with you, monsieur,” he said. “Monsieur Franklin gave express orders that we were not to communicate with anyone in his office except himself.”
“My brother is dead,” I said.
“So you say, monsieur. But he warned us to beware of any attempt to gain information about his affairs and we cannot discuss them.”
“Then please will you telephone to his lawyers and get their assurance that he’s dead and that I am now managing his business?”
After a pause the voice said austerely, “Very well, monsieur. Give us the name of his lawyers.”
I did that and waited for ages during which time three customers telephoned with long orders which I wrote down, trying not to get them wrong from lack of concentration.
Then there was a frantic call from a nearly incoherent woman who wanted to speak to Mr. Franklin urgently.
“Mrs. P.?” I asked tentatively.
Mrs. P. it was. Mrs. Patterson, she said. I gave her the abysmal news and listened to her telling me what a fine nice gentleman my brother had been, and oh dear, she felt faint, had I seen the mess in the sitting room?
I warned her that the whole house was the same. “Just leave it,” I said. “I’ll clean it up later. Then if you could come after that to vacuum and dust, I’d be grateful.”
Calming a little, she gave me her phone number. “Let me know, then,” she said. “Oh dear, oh dear.”
Finally the Antwerp voice returned and, begging him to hold on, I hopped over to the door, called Annette, handed her the customers’ orders and said this was the moment for securing the defenses. She gave me a disapproving look as I again closed the door.
Back in Greville’s chair I said to the voice, “Please, monsieur, tell me if my brother had any dealings with you. I am trying to sort out his office but he has left too few records.”
“He asked us particularly not to send any records of the work we were doing for him to his office.”
“He, er, what?” I said.
“He said he could not trust everyone in his office as he would like. Instead, he wished us to send anything necessary to the fax machine in his car, but only when he telephoned from there to arrange it.”
“Um,” I said, blinking, “I found the fax machine in his car but there were no statements or invoices or anything from you.”
“I believe if you ask his accountants, you may find them there.”
“Good grief.”
“I beg your pardon, monsieur?”
“I didn’t think of asking his accountants,” I said blankly.
“He said for tax purposes...”
“Yes, I see.” I hesitated. “What exactly were you doing for him?”
“Monsieur?”
“Did he,” I asked a shade breathlessly, “send you a hundred diamonds, color H, average uncut weight three point two carats, to be cut and polished?”
“No, monsieur.”
“Oh.” My disappointment must have been audible.
“He sent twenty-five stones, monsieur, but five of them were not diamonds.”
“Cubic zirconia,” I said, enlightened.
“Yes, monsieur. We told Monsieur Franklin as soon as we discovered it. He said we were wrong, but we were not, monsieur.”
“No,” I agreed. “He did leave a note saying five of the first batch were CZ.”
“Yes, monsieur. He was extremely upset. We made several inquiries for him, but he had bought the stones from a sightholder of impeccable honor and he had himself measured and weighed the stones when they were delivered to his London house. He sent them to us in a sealed Euro-Securo courier package. We assured him that the mistake could not have been made here by us, and it was then, soon after that, that he asked us not to send or give any information to anyone in his... your... office.” He paused. “He made arrangements to receive the finished stones from us, but he didn’t meet our messenger.”
“Your messenger?”
“One of our partners, to be accurate. We wished to deliver the stones to him ourselves because of the five disputed items, and Monsieur Franklin thought it an excellent idea. Our partner dislikes flying, so it was agreed he should cross by boat and return the same way. When Monsieur Franklin failed to meet him he came back here. He is elderly and had made no provision to stay away. He was... displeased... at having made a tiring journey for nothing. He said we should wait to hear from Monsieur Franklin. Wait for fresh instructions. We have been waiting, but we’ve been puzzled. We didn’t try to reach Monsieur Franklin at his office as he had forbidden us to do that, but we were considering asking someone else to try on our behalf. We are very sorry to hear of his death. It explains everything, of course.”
I said, “Did your partner travel to Harwich on the Koningin Beatrix?”
“That’s right, monsieur.”
“He brought the diamonds with him.”
“That’s right, monsieur. And he brought them back. We will now wait your instructions instead.”
I took a deep breath. Twenty of the diamonds at least were safe. Five were missing. Seventy-five were... where?
The Antwerp voice said, “It’s to be regretted that Monsieur Franklin didn’t see the polished stones. They cut very well. Twelve teardrops of great brilliance, remarkable for that color. Eight were not suitable for teardrops, as we told Monsieur Franklin, but they look handsome as stars. What shall we do with them, monsieur?”
“When I’ve talked to the jeweler they were cut for, I’ll let you know.”
“Very good, monsieur. And our account? Where shall we send that?” He mentioned considerately how much it would be.
“To this office,” I said, sighing at the prospect. “Send it to me marked ‘Personal.’ ”
“Very good, monsieur.”
“And thank you,” I said. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“At your service, monsieur.”
I put the receiver down slowly, richer by twelve glittering teardrops destined to hang and flash in sunlight, and by eight handsome stars that might twinkle in a fantasy of rock crystal. Better than nothing, but not enough to save the firm.
Using the crutches, I went in search of Annette and asked her if she would please find Prospero Jenks, wherever he was, and make another appointment for me, that afternoon if possible. Then I went down to the yard, taking a tip from Greville, and on the telephone in my car put a call through to his accountants.
Brad, reading a golfing magazine, paid no attention.
Did he play golf? I asked.